ZDNet is reporting that Microsoft has suffered a patent loss in a German court that could affect its Android revenue.

Just how important is it? In July 2012, Microsoft got a German court to give them the right to ban all Motorola Android device sales in Germany because of it. Microsoft has also used this, and other FAT patents, to get numerous Android vendors to sign patent-licensing agreements.

These patent agreements, in turn, have made Android, not Windows RT, not Windows Phone 8, its most profitable mobile operating system. It's been estimated that Microsoft makes as much as $8 for every Android device sold. This would add up to Microsoft making as much as $3.4 billion in 2013 from Android sales. That's important.

This could be a very good thing for Android device manufacturers, if it sticks. It could result in higher profits for them, or it could allow them to slightly cut prices on Android devices, which would benefit Android device users and possibly increase sales.

It seems though that everything is still very much up in the air right now. As the article notes, another court could easily reinstate the patent and then things would be right back where they started.

It's always a mistake to count Microsoft out on these kinds of issues. They will fight tooth and nail to protect their Android revenue stream regardless of the court costs.

Linux Mint 16 Xfce RC Released

The Linux Mint developers have announced the release of Linux Mint 16 Xfce RC.

Xfce is a lightweight desktop environment which aims to be fast and low on system resources, while still being visually appealing and user friendly. This edition features all the improvements from the latest Linux Mint release on top of an Xfce 4.10 desktop.